Currently, in pipe welding, it is nearly difficult for a human welder to weld
the whole circumference of a pipe in a single uninterrupted pass using
MIG welding causing inconsistencies in weld quality around the welded
pipe. The aim of this study was to develop an automated-orbital pipe
MIG welding system and to optimize welding parameters for enhancing
ultimate tensile strength and Rockwell hardness of mild steel 1020 grade
pipe. Three levels of variation were applied to the four input parameters
that were chosen. Nine experiments were carried out using orthogonal
array of L9. In this experimental investigation, the highest ultimate tensile
strength (UTS) of 411.2 MPa and Rockwell hardness (RH) of 95
HRB were achieved at 110 A of current and 24 V of voltage, welding
gun travel speed of 30 cm/min and 3 mm of arc length. For modeling
the orbital pipe MIG welding process experimental input parameters and
response results, a hybrid ANN-GA model was constructed. This model
was used to forecast and optimize ultimate tensile strength and Rockwell
hardness, as well as the process factors that go with it. The results
indicated that the ANN-GA model could predict the output responses
with a mean absolute error of 5.06e-05. During optimization, a 4-9-2
network trained with neural network of back propagation by Bayesian
regularization approach was determined to have the greatest prediction
capability, with maximum UTS and RH of 417.857 MPa and 96.5364
HRB, respectively. The predicted and confirmation test results were
both found within the acceptable errors, according to a confirmation
test conducted with the optimum parameters of the ANN-GA model.